Jyotiraditya’s journey as a parliamentarian began in 2002 when he won the by-election in Guna, Madhya Pradesh. He has since been re-elected thrice (2004-09, 2009-14, 2014-19). Jyotiraditya believes that the role of a Member of Parliament is defined by the questions he articulates and the issues he chooses to raise for discussion and debate. As a parliamentarian, he realises the importance of espousing the cause of his people while simultaneously contributing to national issues and articulating his own vision.

In the Parliament, his journey has been one of constant learning and evolution. For Jyotiraditya, his role is not limited to the debates within the chambers of the Lok Sabha. Rather, he holds himself accountable to his constituents and is committed to optimizing his position for the development of his constituency and its people. He is as concerned about the local issues that his constituents in their day-to-day lives, as he is about matters of national importance. Jyotiraditya believes that Parliament is a pivotal platform for national debates and development — a place where a range of opinions, issues and ideas come forth, and where the collective mission of national development takes shape.

Type of Intervention

Current

Past

Debate

46

82

Special Mentions

16

6

Questions

761

551

Supplementary Questions

6

6

Government/Private Member Bills

2

4

Parliamentary Committees: Parliamentary committees play a critical role in the Parliamentary form of government, acting as a system of checks and balances in scrutinising major policy decisions, reviewing legislations and appraising government schemes.

Standing Committee of Finance

Committee of Privileges

Consultative Committee of Home

Focus: Jyotiraditya has raised multiple local and national issues as a Member of Parliament. He has focused on the plight of farmers, the struggle of vulnerable and marginalized communities, and matters of national security. He also submitted a Private Member’s Bill urging the government to set up a nodal agency for launching, operating and supervising a integrated, multi-sectoral programme in mission mode (Malnutrition Eradication Mission) to identify and eradicate malnutrition amongst children.
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Jyotiraditya Scindia’s most striking contribution during his tenure was the transformation of India Post from a cost centre to a profit centre. The existing postal department, mired in stringent regulations, was overhauled and restored through comprehensive Business Process Restructuring (BPR) and a rebranding initiative called Project Arrow.

Launched in April 2008, Project Arrow covered almost 1000 post offices over a period of 8 months. It sought to improve both the Core Operations of Post Offices (eg. mail delivery, money remittances, office service levels) as well as the ambience (Look and Feel) in which postal transactions were undertaken. Almost immediately after the project’s commencement, post offices became more customer-centric, generated higher revenue, and were able to expand their portfolio of efficient services. Significantly, Project Arrow won the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration. Today, the aforementioned Core Operations effort covers more than 18,600 computerized post offices and the ambience of over 1,736 post offices across the country has been improved.

Beyond generating profits, Project Arrow aimed to improve the quality of life of the thousands of dak-sevaks (post carriers). The Ministry obtained approval from the HRD Ministry for (i) the children of dak-sevaks to be admitted under the government staff quota in Kendriya Vidyalayas and (ii) the grant of a “shoe allowance” to all the dak-sevaks (who spend hours on foot), helping them save personal income they would have otherwise spent on expensive footwear. Project Arrow is a testament to how a large and complex organisation, hindered by regulations, can be made more efficient with innovation and effort.

Minister of Commerce and Industry (state) - May 2009-Nov 2012

Transaction Cost Reduction

Jyotiraditya Scindia was committed to reducing the transaction costs for businesses across the country. He constituted a Task Force on Transaction Costs to review existing regulations and propose corrective measures to ease costs associated with trading across borders. Through this initiative, the Ministry identified 8 streams of business in which transactions costs required reduction and succeeded in cutting such costs for exporters by about $450 million.

E-biz Portal

A flagship project of the Ministry, the e-biz portal, created under the National E-Governance plan, enabled entrepreneurs to receive licences in a time-bound manner. Designed on a PPP model during Mr. Scindia’s tenure, it was implemented on a pilot basis in 8 Central Government Departments and 5 States (Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Delhi). The e-biz portal aimed to reduce points of contact between businesses and government agencies, and paved the way for vertical implementation of projects with clearances across various levels available on a single platform. This initiative has contributed significantly to the improvement of India’s rank in the ‘Ease of Doing Business’ index.

E-trade Portal

This single, horizontal portal assimilated all sectors involved in the export value-added stream, including customs, ports and railways. The e-trade scheme sought to cut costs across the value chain and improve the efficiency of business interaction with the government. Is is these UPA reforms that today constitute the foundation of the incumbent government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative.

Tea Sector – 5-5-5 Initiatives

Concerned about the stagnating export levels and declining share of Indian tea in the international market, Mr. Scindia instituted a Task Force (March 2010) to rebrand Indian tea and restore it to its previous repute. The Task Force identified 5 key markets in Russia, Kazakhstan, Iran, the United States and Egypt, and suggested 5 constructive measures. These included, (i) the promotion of the Indian tea logo, (ii) engagement with local trading communities, (iii) participation in trade fairs/tea festivals and exchange of business delegations, (iv) in-store promotions, and (v) a social media publicity campaign. These were to be implemented over 5 years, and were referred to as the 5-5-5 strategy. The estimated cost of the project was Rs. 100 crore, which was to be shared between the government and the industry in a 75:25 ratio.

Bilateral Trade Talks

As Minister, Mr. Scindia visited several countries in Latin America, Africa and Eastern Europe to hold bilateral talks on important matters relating to the removal of trade barriers and the promotion of India’s foreign trade.

Minister of Power (with independent charge) - Nov 2012-May 2014

Augmentation of Power Supply

Mr. Scindia aimed to attain energy self-sufficiency for India and ensure 24x7 power supply. Improved power generation was achieved through higher capacity addition. During Mr. Scindia’s tenure, the peak shortage and energy deficit in the country fell to as low as 4.2% and 4.5% between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2013.
In some areas, the Ministry was able to achieve zero power shortages. Mr Scindia also directed his efforts to the development of the thermal and hydro power sectors.

Grid Operation and Discipline

Mr. Scindia undertook several steps to prevent the recurrence of grid disturbances. Among these were frequency tightening, improved grid discipline, installation of protection systems, islanding schemes for sustained supply in emergencies, and the granting of full independence to the Grid Operation Company, POSOCO. Additionally, distribution reforms were instrumental in the installation of the Smart Grid, and the Southern Region grid was connected to the National Grid.

Enhancement of Ministry Efficiency

Jyotiraditya Scindia took concrete steps to increase Ministry efficiency by minimizing delay in the grant of clearances and the erection of power plants. Under his guidance, the Ministry of Power and the Ministry of Water Resources created a framework for speedy technical clearances to hydro power projects. This was realized through increased coordination between the Central Electricity Authority and the Central Water Commission. Mr. Scindia also created an Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) to quickly resolve infrastructural issues and ensure swift implementation of power projects in the North Eastern States. Further, he distributed the examination of environmental issues between the Environment Appraisal Committee (EAC) and the Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) to avoid multiple scrutinies. Additionally, he launched a Financial Restructuring Plan in October 2012 for State Discoms that had accumulated losses

Central to Mr. Scindia’s contribution to the development of cricket in Madhya Pradesh is his belief in a bottom-up approach to ensure that talent is sourced from the grassroots to shine at a national scale. To this effect, in Madhya Pradesh, cricket is no longer dependant on divisional level but on district and block level performances.

Mr. Scindia has been actively involved in cricket administration in India for the past 16 years. He is a BCCI Board Member and is currently the Chairman of the BCCI’s Finance Committee and Member of the IPL Governing Council. As Chairman of the Finance Committee of the BCCI, his efforts towards increasing infrastructural subsidies granted to State Cricket Associations to develop sports facilities in the states have been applauded.

Mr. Scindia is a life member of the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) and has served as its Chairman and President. In this capacity, he has been instrumental in developing the Holkar Stadium in Indore, now an accredited Test Centre that hosts International Test Matches apart from frequent One Day Internationals and IPL matches. He is also actively involved in efforts to develop an international stadium in Gwalior, and build MPCA grounds in towns like Jabalpur, Sagar, Hoshangabad, Morena and Rewa. Mr. Scindia’s commitment to sending Madhya Pradesh cricket teams on tours abroad and making the MPCA the first, and so far the only, ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation) certification accredited cricket body in India has enhanced the recognition given to MP cricket.

Mr. Scindia is also the President of the Gwalior Divisional Cricket Association and the Patron of the Chambal Divisional Cricket Association. In his constituency, he has focused on developing the local cricket structure by providing basic amenities, training human resources and granting opportunities to aspiring cricketers in the entire Gwalior – Chambal region.

A keen sportsperson himself, Mr. Scindia believes that sports should be accessible to everyone since it serves not only fitness but builds sportsmanship and drives community engagement.

Shrimant Madhavrao Scindia Sports Complex and Guna Stadium

Mr. Scindia has made a concerted effort to make sports facilities accessible to the people of his constituency. A prime example of his efforts is the Shrimant Madhavrao Scindia Sports Complex in Shivpuri, which was completed in 2008. The sports complex, built at a cost of Rs. 8 crore, offers a wide range of facilities for cricket, tennis, basketball, hockey, volleyball, khokho, judo, karate, badminton, table tennis, and malkham. Its cricket stadium has recently been recognised by the Gwalior Division Cricket Association and hosts Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) matches.